Red zone

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published January 1, 2006

INSIDE THE BUCS MEETING ROOM

PLAY IT SAFE: Okay, by now everyone seems fairly convinced Chris Simms can move the ball. But today isn't the day to ask him to put a game on his shoulders. The Saints don't exactly have the stingiest defense in the league, with opponents averaging 24.7 points. There's little reason to try to deviate from the usual plan, which is to run first. With the playoffs on the horizon, keep Simms out of harm's way so long as the score allows.

RONDE REPEAT?: Cornerback Ronde Barber has to be a bit upset with New Orleans' decision to bench quarterback Aaron Brooks for the rest of the season. Barber had three of the Bucs' four interceptions when the teams met at Baton Rouge this month. But the secondary can take heart in knowing that journeyman Todd Bouman is making the sixth start of his career. Look for Barber and others to try to bait him into mistakes.

LET CADDY CARRY: This is one of those games in which you want to give Cadillac Williams the ball and simply get out of the way. The rookie, who rushed for 96 yards against the Saints Dec. 4, has surpassed 100 yards in two of his past three games. And remember, the Saints rank 27th in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 133.1 rushing yards per game.

STAND PAT: The Bucs are likely to stay in their typical Tampa 2 zone package, as there is little reason to think the Saints will mount much of an effort with their ground game. New Orleans has had a 100-yard rusher only once this season, when Antowain Smith rushed for 110 yards against Chicago. The Bucs have the luxury of sitting back in their zone and letting the frontline handle the run game while daring the Saints to throw downfield.

MAKE IT RIGHT: The Saints are likely to attack the right side of the offensive line, where tackle Kenyatta Walker's status is in doubt because of an ankle injury. Backup Todd Steussie is inconsistent. With a left-handed quarterback in Chris Simms, the right side is his blind side. Keep in mind that the right tackle will draw defensive end Will Smith - the Saints' best pass rusher with 8.5 sacks.

TAKE A LOAD OFF: The Saints would be wise to avoid asking Todd Bouman to do too much. That's what got him in trouble against Carolina two weeks ago, when he threw four interceptions. Running back Aaron Stecker and tight end Zach Hilton can be reliable underneath targets for Bouman. Staying with the short pass will help Bouman avoid throwing into the teeth of the Bucs' aggressive secondary.

WHY NOT?: Because the Saints have nothing at stake, they might as well throw the kitchen sink at Simms, meaning he could see all kinds of blitzes. The Saints managed to keep Simms off-balanced in their first meeting, when they limited him to 123 passing yards. The Bucs have struggled picking up blitzes, most recently in the shutout loss at New England.

UP THE GUT: If the Saints are going to put together any semblance of a running game, they're going to have to do it in the middle of the Bucs defense. Tampa Bay's defense has too much speed for the Saints to try to run around the edges, but if they can attack in the middle and elude the penetration of tackles Chris Hovan and Anthony McFarland, they might find some gaps.

Bucs coach Jon Gruden, debunking the idea the Saints will lie down:

"Not in this league. I don't buy into that at all. They're going to come in here and they're going to play hard like they do every week. They've got a lot of pride, they've got a good coaching staff, they've got a very good roster and they've played their butts off in every game that I've seen."

[Last modified January 1, 2006, 00:29:14]